Philippines Former President Gloria Arroyo Faces Vote Fraud Charges

Philippine election officials have filed charges against former President Gloria Arroyo for massive vote tampering. The cause, to be brought by the Election Commission, will be the first criminal case to be filed against her. She is involved in a bitter dispute with the current government, which has banned her from leaving the country. Mrs Arroyo denies any wrongdoing, and her lawyer dismissed the charges as fabrication. For months, speculation has swirled that Mrs Arroyo was about to be charged - either with vote fraud, or with embezzlement. But Mrs Arroyo has been fighting in the courts to be allowed to leave the country, saying she has a rare bone disease and needs specialist treatment. Earlier this week the Supreme Court overruled the government's travel ban, and Mrs Arroyo arrived at an airport in a wheelchair and a neck-brace. But the government stopped her from leaving. The Election Commission said it would file charges later, and it would then be a matter for the courts to decide whether to issue an arrest warrant. Officials said Mrs Arroyo, who was president between 2001 and 2010, was accused of ordering large-scale tampering with official returns in the 2007 Senate elections that cheated an opposition candidate out of victory. The maximum sentence is life in prison. Meanwhile, the former president's lawyers are still fighting in the courts to overturn the travel ban. There was speculation that she could again try to leave the country later on Friday.